William mason



(No Model.)

w. MASON. LOCKING MEANS OPERATING HANDLES 0P BRBEGH'LOADING GUNS.

No. 564,440. Patented July 21, 1896'.

UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM MASON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WINCHESTERREPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LOCKING MEANS FOR OPERATING-HANDLES OF BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,440, dated July 21,1896.

Application filed January 31, 1896. Serial No. 577,494. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MASON, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inFirearms; andI do hereby declare the following, when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference markedthereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a broken View, in side elevation, of a gun containing myinvention; Fig. 2, a plan view of the magazine and action-bar with thebarrel of the gun removed; Fig. 3, a view in transverse section on theline a b of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of firearms theaction mechanism of which is operated by means of a sliding handlelocated forward of the frame of the arm, and adapted to be reciprocatedin a line or substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of thegun-barrel, the principal object of my present invention being toprevent the gun from being prematurely opened by the user in theinterval between the falling of the hammer and the explosion of thecartridge in case he pulls rearward upon the sliding handle at the timeof firing the gun.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the combination, with afixed lug located upon the magazine of the arm, of a lug located uponthe action-bar of the sliding handle and traveling back and forththerewith. I

My invention further consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims.

In carrying out my invention I locate a beveled stop-lug or projection Aupon the magazine A, and nearly'in the center of the upper face thereof,as shown in Fig. 3. This lug may be made integral with the magazine orindependently thereof and brazed thereto. Its outer edge is beveled, asat a, for coaction with a stop-lu g B, located within the extremeforward end of the action-bar B, which is, as shown, secured to a metalsleeve 13*, by means of which it is connected with the sliding handle C,which is moved back and forth on the magazine A in a line substantiallyparallel with the longitudinal axis of the gun-barrel D. The rear end ofthe action-bar is provided with an inwardly-proj ecting operating-lug Bthrough the medium of which it is connected with the action mechanism ofthe arm, said mechanism being of any approved construction.

\Vhen in the operation of the arm the sliding handle is pushed forward,and just before it reaches the limit of its forward movement, the lug Bengages with the beveled edge a of the lug A, whereby the lug B iscrowded slightly outward and downward, and the action-bar B given aslight torsional twist, causing the sliding handle at the same time torotate slightly on the magazine. Then, when the sliding handle reachesthe limit of its forward movement, the lug B passes in front of the lugA, when the torsional strain under which the action-bar B has beenplaced immediately operates to throw the lug B in front of the lug Awith a corresponding reverse rotation of the handle upon the magazine.It is plain now that the sliding handle is positively blocked and heldin its forward position, and that any rearward draft that the user mayexert upon it cannot pull it back and endanger the premature opening ofthe gun, which can only be done by the rotation of the handle by theuser sufficiently to twist the actionbar enough to clear the lug B fromthe lug A, after which the handle may be drawn back. I may point outthat the recoil of the gun does not in this case release the slidinghandle for rearward movement.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes from theconstruction shown and described may be made, and I would therefore haveit understood that I do not limit myself to such construction, but holdmyself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fallwithin the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a firearm, the combination with a fixed stop-lug or projection, ofa sliding handle, a lug moving therewith and engaging with the fixed lugat the limit of the forward movement of the handle for blocking therearward movementof the handle against direct rearward draft, for whichthe handle miist be released by turning it slightly to clear the ln gconnected with it from the fixed lug, substantially as described.

2. In a firearm, the combination with a fixedstop-lug or projectionhaving one edge beveled, of a stop-lug or projection traveling with thesliding handle of the arm, andengaging with the fixed stop-lug orprojection when the handle is at the limit of its forward movement, andblocking the rearward movement r bar connected with thesliding handleand extending rearward therefrom, and a stop-lug located at the forwardend of the action-bar and coacting with the fixed lug before mentionedto place the action-bar under torsional strain, and engaging with theforward end of the fixed lug when the handle is at the limit of itsforward movement in which it is locked against rearward movement underdirect rearward draft except as the sliding bar is first rotated totwist the action-bar and clear the lug thereof from the fixed lug orprojection, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MASON.

Witnesses:

DANIEL I-I. VEADER, W. S. BALDWIN.

